This summer, Neighborhood Cats went to Williamsburg, Brooklyn to begin a trap-neuter-return program on a group of cats living in an alley. Within the group were three kittens: two tabbies and their tuxedo brother.

“At seven weeks old, all three were pint-sized tough-guys-in-training,” says
Susan Richmond, executive director of Neighborhood Cats. “With no humans to look after them, they had to be street-tough just to
survive.”

The adults and older kittens in the group had grown up outdoors and were too wild to be adopted. They were spayed and neutered, given exams and rabies vaccines, then returned to their home in the alley where feeding stations and snug, all-weather shelters had been set up.

The young kittens — now named Watson, Simon and Holmes — were fearful of people too, but still young enough to tame, so Neighborhood Cats arranged for a foster home for them. Then they began the slow process of socializing the cats.

Patience paid off, and the kittens are now used to the love of a human family. “Today Watson the tuxedo and his tabby brothers are cheerful, friendly kittens, happy to nap in a welcoming lap and delighted with each new indoor discovery: windowsills, sofa cushions, the wonder of scratching posts,” Susan says.

“This grant is making happy endings possible for animals who might otherwise never find homes of their own,” Susan says. “From all of us at Neighborhood Cats — including Watson, Simon and Holmes, three very happy kittens — three cheers for our friends at the Petfinder.com Foundation and Blue Sky Soda!”